The Village of Ashcroft’s Nov. 14 meeting was business as usual after the newly-elected council was sworn in at the start of the month. Mayor Barbara Roden presided over the meeting which had councillors Doreen Lambert, Jessica Clement, and Nadine Davenport in attendance.
Council received an update about road conditions from David Rhodes, Quality Manager for Dawson Road Maintenance.
Council passed a motion to submit an application for a community emergency preparedness grant from the Union of B.C. Municipalities on behalf of Ashcroft Fire Rescue, to fund updated fire-safety skill training.
Village staff provided an update on the progress of several ongoing projects, including the arena, which needed a new compressor installed; designs and associated costs for work at the Heritage Park; the removal of danger trees from Mesa Vista Park; and installation of a submersible pump chamber at the water treatment plant.
An update was also provided with regards to construction work on the hot tub at the pool, which is scheduled to be ready by May next year, as well as the progress on the fire hall renovations.
The Santa Parade will be held on Dec. 2, and council approved closure of Railway Avenue from 2nd to 7th Streets from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on that date.
Council approved community choir Twisted Desert Music Society’s $500 organizational grant request, as well as the Ashcroft Fire Department and RCMP’s request for free ice time at the Drylands Arena for their annual charity hockey game to be held in January next year. The Ashcroft 4-H Club’s request to rent the community hall free of charge to to host the year-end achievement banquet on Nov. 27 was also approved.
Council voted to provide a letter of support for an application for funding assistance from the Connecting Communities BC program to bring the PureFibre network to Ashcroft to provide improved broadband connectivity.
Prior to the council meeting, a committee of the whole meeting was held to discuss appointments to council committees, working groups, and outside boards. There was a brief description of, and discussion about, each group, and council members were asked which ones they were interested in being appointed to.
Appointees will attend the meetings and report back to the rest of council with brief written reports of the highlights of what was discussed.
Internal committees and working groups include Ashcroft Fire Rescue, Economic Development and Tourism, Transit, and Bylaw. External committees and boards include Northern Development Initiative Trust, Gold Country Communities Society, Historic Hat Creek Ranch, the Healthcare and Wellness Coalition, Ashcroft Communities in Bloom, and the Ashcroft HUB.
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